thoughts of a writer

Menu

Category Archives: Aaron’s Journey

So. You know how, like, every mother out there loves all of her kids SO much, she can never pick a favorite? Even my mom has this problem. Sure, after, say, my younger brother makes popcorn or I get the kids out of the house for a few hours so she can get back her sanity, she says, “You’re my favorite!” But it always changes. (Of course, I just try to be the one who Mom says it to the most. 😉 ) A lot of parents also say that when their first child is born, they love it SO much (which is well and fine and good). However, they don’t think they can love a second child as much because their love feels like it’s being spent on the first child. Then, when they have another kid, the love just multiplies and they love both children equally.

I get that now.

When I started writing my first novel, Aaron’s Journey, I loved it sooooo much. (And I still do.) It took a while for me to write another story that I loved sooooo much – which ended up being Becoming Nikki – but I loved it equally as much as Aaron’s Journey.

And now that I’m writing Daniella, I understand this even more. I totally get the fact that you can invest yourself so much into a story, thinking you don’t have anything left and *sniff* this will be your last novel ever because all of your creative juices are gone… but then comes along another story idea and you start investing yourself into another story.

I don’t have a favorite novel that I’ve written. How can I? I love them all equally because they’ve all taught me something.

So, instead of the (rather boring) post that I was planning on doing today, I’ll just reply to her tag. : )

1) Will you watch black-and-white movies?

Oh, yes. They’re amazing! Sure, I prefer movies in color, but I think that a lot of the better movies (with better morals, actors, stories, etc) are in black-and-white – Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, You Can’t Take it With You, It’s a Wonderful Life, Cyrano de Bergerac. (If you haven’t already, go watch all of those. Post haste.)2) If you could choose between Middle Earth and Narnia where would you go?

Dare I even try to choose?! *sigh* Fine.

Let’s see…. I think it would depend on when. If Faramir were still alive, then I’d go to Middle Earth. He’s the only reason I watch Lord of the Rings now. XD

And it depends on who’s in Narnia – all of the Pevensies? Or Eustace and Jill? Or Diggory and Polly? Or Shasta and Aravis? Or somewhere in between? You have to keep all those factors in mind!

In the end, though, I think I’d choose Narnia, partially because I’d love to just walk around and stumble upon places in the books – Cair Paravel, anyone?! – and partially because I’d love to meet people and see all of the creatures with my own eyes. That would be amazing.3) What is one place you’d like to visit?(or revisit as the case may be)

SCOTLAND!!!!! (This is a visit, not a revisit.) My revisit place would be Washington, D.C. There was way too much to see in only ten days, and it was even harder to process when I was eleven! Or Disney. (Yes, I’m eighteen and want to go to Disney. Your point is?)4) You discover a dragons egg under your bed. What is the first thing you do?

Shriek hysterically. Then claim it as my own and have an internal debate as to what to name it when it hatched. Probably Ciara, after Aaron’s dragon. (From Aaron’s Journey, that novel I keep telling you guys about. Toying with the idea of rewriting it… for the third time.)5) How would you describe a hero?

Percy and Knightley and Alf all rolled into one. : ) Seriously, though, a hero is someone who is sacrificial – someone who puts others’ needs above his own. Someone who will do anything necessary to achieve his goal. (And, in doing so, not only rescues the princess, but wins her heart as well.)6) Do you like acting and if so, would you take an acting class with me?

Ooh, yes, please!! There was a time when I dreamed about acting, but now I’m only thinking about writing screenplays. Methinks an acting class would help my writing.

A good one. Lots of action, suspense, and mystery, a very creepy bad guy, an awesome hero, and a girl. So that there can be a hint of romance. : ) If you don’t believe that all this can be put into one book, go pick up something by Wayne Thomas Batson. Remember that name – WTB, author of awesomeness known as The Door Within Trilogy, The “Isle” Books (Isle of Swords and Isle of Fire), The Berinfell Prophecies, and The Dark Sea Annals. All are good and highly recommended to all who read this post!!!8)Do you carry/own a sonic screwdriver?

Sadly, no. But I know a few guys who do…. : )9) Would you run away with Peter Pan?

Maybe… if only to see if I can kill Hook all by me onesies. (Savvy?)

10) Do you like the old, legend-like fairy tales?

Eh… not really. I like Disney fairy tales, though!11) What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

Written fifty thousand words of my novel in one month. That was insane – and I absolutely mean it. I don’t think I’ll be able to do it again (until June, that is).

Ask me again in about two months and I’ll tell you, “Edit my novel.”

Thank you so much for tagging me, Bella! That was so much fun!!

To be on the weird side (or just be me), I’m going to tag all of my readers without blogs. That means Haley and Elinor and anyone else who wants to! Below are your questions. Leave your answers in the comment section. Can’t wait to read them!

Have you ever done something so crazy that you know you’ll never do it again?

Who is your favorite literary hero/heroine?

Have you ever read a book by Wayne Thomas Batson???

What is your favorite kind of cookie?

Do you think that Loki is evil, or just cute?

Have you ever been so “into” something (such as a hobby or book or movie) that it scares your family, especially parents? Do tell!

I finally decided to do Snippets of Story. Hope you guys enjoy! I’ve posted a few things from my other works-in-progress, too. Enjoy!

~~~~~~~

“Let me help you with that,” Andy offered softly.

“Andy!” the girl shouted, nearly dropping the cake. Andrew grabbed it and set it on the dining room table, then turned back to her.

“Hi, Haley,” he greeted, shoving his hands into his jean pockets.

“Hey.”

Andy could tell that Haley was trying to keep her emotions in check – he had no idea what they were, though – so he reached out and gave her a short hug, but she held on. He could hear her start crying and grinned awkwardly.

“Oh, Andy, I’ve worried about you so much, especially in the past month. When I heard what happened….”

“I’m fine, Haley. You don’t need to worry about me.”

Haley let him go and half-smiled. “I know, but I still do. After all, you are my big brother.” She grabbed a tissue out of a box nearby and wiped under her eyes, then laughed. “Look at me! I’ve been here barely a minute and you already have me crying!”

“What is this world coming to?”

Haley shrugged and stuffed the tissue into her coat somewhere, which she started taking off. Andrew took it and hung it on a hook on the wall next to his.

“I brought a cake,” Haley said, motioning towards it.

“I saw it,” Andy replied, nodding.

They were silent for a minute.

“This is awkward,” Haley noted. “Sorry.”

Andrew gave her another short hug. “That’s okay. I knew it’d be. I haven’t seen you guys in forever. How’s college?”

“It’s good.”

“Okay, now that that’s out of the way, how’s college?”

Haley smiled. “I never can fool you, can I?”

– Stalker (?), a novel I haven’t worked on in a while but would dearly love to go back to because I loved the plot! It’ll need some major revisions, though…. (But which of my stories doesn’t?)

~~~~~~~

Elizabeth sat and watched [a couple] dance, trying not to wish she occupied the dance floor, too. Suddenly, a young man sat next to her and she nearly jumped in surprise.

[Allie and I] stepped inside the foyer and I set the roller blades down on the tile. I peeled off my socks and threw them down beside them as Allie leaned over and dropped her purse on the floor, then stepped out of her shoes.

“Allie.”

I looked up at exactly the same time Allie did. Alec was standing at the far side of the foyer, his hands in his pockets, staring at Allie. My gaze darted back and forth – first at Alec, then at Allie.

‘Wow,’ I thought a minute later, grinning. ‘Talk about chemistry….’

– Untitled June Crusade/Camp NaNo Project (This is one of my favorite scenes!! The end is the best….)

~~~~~~~

Aaron sat quietly in his chair, staring out the window at a pair of birds who were making their nest on the tree just outside the classroom window. His arms were folded on his open workbook laying on the desk, his head resting on them. Though he was still, his eyes were not. They followed the birds- Romeo and Juliet, he had named them- as they gathered twigs, bits of string, and trash from around the school. The history teacher droned on monotonously with her lecture, seeming never to lose her breath.

“The kings and queens of England,” she was saying, “are very fascinating in their own rights, though we don’t have too much time left to go into them,” she glanced at the clock on the wall. “However, I would like to mention a few things about them.”

Several quiet groans rumbled through the classroom, echoing Aaron’s own silent one. They weren’t getting out early today.

‘And on the last day of school before Christmas break,’ Aaron mused. ‘How awful.’

– Thus begins Aaron’s Journey, the fantasy I’ve told you guys about that I stopped writing about two years ago. Just looking at the beginning again and remembering how hard I worked on it, revision after revision after painful revision, makes me want to read it again and finish it. Oh, bother.

~~~~~~~

And I think that’ll be it. I’d give you guys the latest scene from my June Crusade/Camp NaNo Project (which I’ve called TJCRW – try to figure that one out!), but it gives up a lot…. I’ll just give you the first line.

“Can I take your coat?”

: )

~~~~~~~

Oh, and one more thing! I need your help. My opening of TJCRW is in desperate need of your services. (Why I said that in a Scottish accent in my head, I have no idea! Wait…. Never mind.) Anyway, it’s not the best of openings. I don’t know if it’s because it’s a little boring or hard to understand or what – I started with action, too!

The opening scene is below. (It’s the State Ice Dancing competition, by the way, and my character in first person’s name is Nikki.)

“Now… please welcome… Alec and Nikki Scott!”

The crowd started roaring with applause and I glanced at Alec, who cracked his knuckles and looked at me with a hint of a smile on his face. He reached his hand out towards me, and I took it with a nervous smile.

We stepped into the rink and skated towards the middle, causing the audience to clap even harder. True, it was probably only a few hundred people – I couldn’t tell because the lights were in my face – but they made enough noise for a few thousand.

I could barely keep my emotions in check. ‘Oh, Lord, help us,’ I prayed as I bowed my head like Alec’s as we stood motionlessly in the middle of the rink. ‘I’m so excited! Help us to stay in sync and everything. Please don’t let anything go wrong. Thanks, God!’ I ended, finishing my prayer up in a hurry. The first few notes of our music came over the speakers and the crowd died down.

‘One, two, three, two, two, three, three, two, three, go!’

I slowly looked up at Alec, who skated circles around me, his hands clasped behind his back. He stopped and held his hand out. I hesitated slightly, then took it. He grabbed my other hand and we started spinning, twirling, and gliding to the music. With every move I made, I tried to keep one eye on Alec, one eye on my feet, one ear towards the speakers, and one ear towards Alec, who might whisper a command or two every now and then.

We flew through the routine, effortlessly weaving and spinning around the rink. Alec held my hands and pulled me up onto his shoulders with a serpentine lift. As I came down and danced beside Alec, doing a backwards crossover, the crowd clapped and I smiled. We did a camel spin together and I barely kept myself from smiling harder. ‘We’re perfectly in sync with each other!’ All of our hard work was finally paying off, and I couldn’t wait to find out just how well we were doing.

Soon – almost too soon – I heard the music change tempo and knew that we were nearing the end of the song. I took a deep breath, knowing what was coming.

“Here it comes,” he whispered, his grip tightening on my waist and hand.

The hardest aerial move in the entire routine. I quickly ran through the steps in my mind as I skated beside him and mentally prepared for the lift. I took a deep breath and, right on beat, he pulled me up onto his shoulders. Before I knew it, I was back on my feet again and spinning out and away from Alec.

‘We did it!’ I realized, smiling widely as I heard the audience burst into applause. ‘A reverse rotational lift without any complications! Yahoo!’

I spun in again towards Alec, fell into the basic waltz position, feeling the beat as we danced through the last few bars. We glided around the rink once more, then Alec spun me out and we did a sit spin, then twirled for three rotations. Alec and I skated together and I grabbed Alec’s hand, then we were in the waltz position once more. Three sets, then he spun me around. Three more, and I dipped. The music ended and I waited for three seconds until Alec pulled me back up again.

The crowd was ecstatic. I almost laughed as I realized that I’d never heard that much applause for us. I grinned at Alec and he smiled back and hugged me. We were both dry-heaving, but we didn’t care. We grabbed hands, skated to the center of the rink, and I curtsied, then he bowed. The audience roared and I couldn’t help but start crying.

‘Oh, thank you, Lord! Thank you!’

What went wrong?! Be as harsh as you care to – it might not even end up in the final draft, so I don’t care. : )

Putting all this up here is making me want to write more…. Guess what I’ll be doing this weekend!

3. When you are writing what is your favorite song to listen too? Not theme song for your book but favorite song for while you’re writing?Song? Oh, my dear gracious, I don’t think I can pick a song. I think the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack is what I’m writing to the most. Very good writing music, that!

4. Do you love your villains or do you relish hating them?I have two villains… well, three, but the third one doesn’t really count… Anyway, I really like them. I’m the one who loves the bad guys, remember? : )

5. What was your very first piece of free writing?Oh, my stars… please don’t ask. Fine. I’ll tell you. The Greatest Adventure of the Summer. *blushes* It was a short story (five pages, to be exact) that I submitted *blushes again* to the American Girl Magazine for a contest. It’s about this girl whose father is the president and has to ransom him after he’s been kidnapped. With a grand total of $35 people. Not $35 million, just flat out $35. (An enormous sum of money when I was only ten, you guys!) I can’t believe I actually submitted it… I’ll have to type it up some day (spelling and grammar errors included) and post a little of it. It’ll be like Jane Austen’s Love and Freindship (sic). (If you guys haven’t read that, look it up. It is SOOO funny!)

6. What was your first completed piece of fiction?Another juvenilia. The Christmas Wish, a short story that was completed when I was 12. It was about a girl whose mom and sisters die in a car crash right before Christmas and her dad gets remarried a while later. I forget most of it, and nothing will convince me to read it again for a while!!

7. What are some of the plot bunnies that you are being teased with right now?Ooh, plot bunnies! Yay. Not so embarrassing… : ) Let me see… Well, I have a few novels started, but one actual official plot bunny is about a guy and a girl… I don’t have all of it right now. I’m also aching to start writing Aaron’s Journey again, but that won’t happen for a while – at least, not until I convince myself that I can write from a guy’s perspective again. : P

8. What is your strategy for writers block?What’s that? Seriously, there is no such thing as writer’s block. (So I’ve heard…) My solution is to just re-read the past thousand words you’ve written and delete what you think has gotten you into a hole. I thought I had writer’s block a while ago, but I just asked myself what the focus of the chapter was and went on from there. (Also… I thought I had it this morning, but I realized it was time for a new chapter, so I skipped over to the next exciting part! Easy peasy, squeeze the lemon!)

9. If you could meet one famous author which one would you pick?

Wayne Thomas Batson or Robert Whitlow. *sigh* To think, I actually lived twenty minutes away from the latter at one point in my life…. *sigh* (Them, or the Baroness Orczy…. *sigh*)

10. Who is your favorite secondary character so far?Natalie. : ) See the above paragraph. She’s so much fun to write! She’s so happy and bubbly, too. Ooh, and Dylan. : ) I really like writing him, too. (Alec isn’t a secondary character, or else I’d pick him!)

Well, that’s all! I’m thinking of posting excerpts… what say ye?

~Eowyn~

EDIT: Okay, so after I posted this I ran upstairs and started writing. After a slow start, I finally hit my stride and…

*cue Jurassic Park theme or Chariots of Fire theme or something big and awesome and monumentous (not a word, I know…)*

I just passed 20,000 words!!! WAHOO!!! There’s a light at the end of this tunnel!

INTO THE FIRE!!! (After a Little Dorrit break… watching it with my younger siblings – their first time… *rubs hands gleefully*)